From limited customer support online to declining foot traffic in stores, high employee turnover, and inconsistent service levels, retailers face multiple challenges that impact both sales and customer loyalty. In this article, we will look at simple steps retailers can take to overcome these challenges with Clienteling technologies.
Challenge: Lack customer guidance opportunities online
A clienteling technology can help remove the barrier between the expert advice customers can get in-store versus online. When it comes to shopping for a specific style, a technology or beauty products, having the opportunity to talk to a real expert can help customers make informed decisions, reducing the probability of returns and on the contrary help retailers build their trust. By giving shoppers more opportunities to easily get information about your products, you also get in return more opportunities to get to know your customers’ preferences, hence creating a virtuous cycle of growth.
Challenge: Bringing more foot traffic in-store
We often view online and in-store experiences as separate, disconnected channels. However, in the customer journey, no matter where the first interaction occurs, online or in-store, the digital touchpoint presents an opportunity to drive more foot traffic to physical locations. The most efficient way to do this is through adding easily accessible appointments features to a retailers’ website and by being able to geo-locate stores in one streamlined process. Another way clienteling softwares can help with increasing foot traffic is by being able to send ultra-personalized offers to specific clients, inviting them to come in-store for a special event or sale. By leveraging information about their shopping habits and past communications in the same place, retailers are able to send more relevant offers and connect with customers without looking spammy or irrelevant.
Challenge: High turnover amongst employees
Employee attrition is a significant challenge in the retail industry, making it more important than ever for companies to invest in scalable solutions that keep employees engaged. Engaged and stable employees are more likely to build strong customer relationships and communicate effectively with shoppers.
Clienteling can help reduce turnover by providing employees with more opportunities to interact with customers while also rewarding them for successful engagements. With the right clienteling software, sales associates can be credited for sales that occur both in-store and online after engaging with customers via SMS, chat, video calls, appointments, shared customer boards, or their personal storefronts. This transparency makes it easier for commission-based employees to stay motivated and achieve their sales targets.
Part-time employees, in particular, often struggle with motivation when faced with ambitious sales goals and limited in-store hours. Tools like personal storefronts and customer boards empower them to earn commissions even on days they are not physically in-store and without taking more time outside of their limited work hours. This can help increase their engagement and improve retention within the company.
Challenge: Training employees to deliver consistent level of service and messaging
The main challenge when hiring new sales representatives is about making sure they know their products well and that they deliver as quickly as possible the same level of customer service as a confirmed employee. There are usually three tools in a good clienteling software that can help achieve this:
Tasking
Managers can assign task lists to floor representatives, helping them stay proactive and focused on key responsibilities. Tasks might include responding to customer inquiries or notifying a client about the arrival of a specific item. This structured approach not only ensures efficiency but also helps instill the right habits in new employees, setting them up for success.
Messaging templates
Retailers can leverage templates to ensure new employees know what terms to use when referring to specific products or services as well as be compliant with the company’s tone.
A connected catalog (Storefronts and Customer boards)
Storefronts integrated with the retailer’s inventory and product catalog enable employees to quickly navigate the store’s offerings and check product availability in real time. This helps them become more familiar with the catalog and provide accurate information to customers efficiently.
In conclusion
Retailers today face several challenges, from providing expert customer guidance online to driving foot traffic in-store, reducing employee turnover, and ensuring consistent service levels. Clienteling technology offers practical solutions by:
Bridging the online-offline gap with personalized customer interactions.
Encouraging store visits through appointment booking and targeted offers.
Improving employee engagement by rewarding customer interactions beyond the sales floor.
Standardizing service quality with structured workflows, messaging templates, and digital product catalogs.
By addressing these challenges, retailers can enhance customer experiences, improve retention, and create a more seamless shopping journey.
If you are interested to see how Salesfloor can help you get a competitive edge by implementing Clienteling solutions to solve these common challenges, don’t hesitate to book a free 1-1 session with our in-house experts.
